History & today

Fellows of King's

The establishment of a fellowship at King’s

The proposal to establish a fellowship of King’s was first considered by the Council of King’s in 1847. The Reverend John Allen, a former chaplain of the College, was the first fellow of King’s. Initially the Council decreed that each fellow should pay two guineas for the privilege. The exaction of the fee was short-lived and ceased from 1850.

Early King’s fellows

From the beginning, a wide variety of people were elected as College fellows. Those elected between 1847 and 1863 included:

Alfred Barry, Principal of King’s 1868-83

James Edwin Thorold Rogers, former King’s student, Professor of Economics at King’s, later Liberal MP for Southwark and Bermondsey

John Simon, later Sir John, Professor of Surgery at King’s, first Medical Officer of Health for the City of London

the Honorable Edward Stanley, later Earl of Derby, Foreign Secretary under Disraeli

William Stebbing, for nearly 30 years Assistant Editor and Leader Writer of The Times

Robert Bentley Todd, founder of King’s College Hospital

Sir Herbert Benjamin Edwardes, army and political officer in India

William Burges, architect and designer who oversaw the Great Exhibition of 1851

Robert Swinhoe, diplomat and ornithologist.

The first King’s women fellows

Lilian Faithfull was one of the first women fellows in 1904. She was Vice-Principal of the Ladies’ Department of King’s 1894-1906 and then Principal of Cheltenham Ladies’ College until 1922 and one of the country’s first women Justice of the Peace (JP).

Recent King’s fellows

The varied backgrounds and achievements of the early fellows established a precedent for the range of distinctions which have been recognised by the fellowship and honorary fellowship more recently. The list of recent fellows includes: